Thirty-five teachers and Principal Dr. Kathleen Kimble took part in the ice bucket challenge Thursday in memory of John Ray, a Sumner County school system employee who succumbed to ALS in July. The school is challenging other schools within the system to douse each other with water for a good cause.
(Photo: Tena Lee/The Hendersonville Star News)

Thirty-five teachers and their principal at Nannie Berry Elementary School took part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Thursday in memory of a "gentle giant" who won't soon be forgotten.

John Ray, a courier and inventory technician for the Sumner County school system for 14 years, died in July after a year-long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. He was 53.

For years, Ray would deliver mail and packages to school offices with a contagious smile and engaging personality.

"He just gave so much and when he came in, you knew he was in the building," said Nannie Berry Principal Dr. Kathleen Kimble. "He was just so positive and always interested in others."

Kimble and school employees wanted to both celebrate Ray's life and raise awareness of the disease that robbed his family and friends of so much. Ray's wife, Kecia, a student support counselor for the school system's attendance department, also took part in the challenge.

"I'm hoping all these challenges will bring awareness so that everywhere they look, people are looking for a cure," Kecia Ray said.

Participants formed a circle in front of the school, each grabbing a bucket of water while standing next to someone they wanted to douse.

Before giving the signal to dump the water, Kimble challenged other schools within the district to hold their own Ice Bucket Challenges in Ray's memory.

Challenge brings awareness to disease

The challenge is a nationwide phenomenon in which celebrities and the average person alike post videos on social media of someone pouring water on them. Participants pledge to make a donation to the ALS Association and challenge others to do the same.

As of Aug. 27, The ALS Association had received $94.3 million in donations compared to $2.7 million during the same time period last year, according to the group's website.

The ALS Association's mission includes assisting those who suffer from the disease and their caregivers, as well as funding research for treatments and a cure for the disease.

Ray's struggle with ALS, often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," started in April 2013 when he started falling for no apparent reason.

After three neck and back surgeries that didn't correct the problem, he was finally diagnosed with the disease in November, according to his wife of 24 years.

The following month, his declining health forced him to retire from the job he loved.

For the last two months of his life he was paralyzed from the neck down, his wife said.

Even then, Ray served as an inspiration to others, according to Pastor Derrick Jackson of First Baptist Church in Gallatin who called him a "gentle giant" with a "magnetic personality."

Throughout his illness, Ray often ministered to people who were trying to minister to him, the pastor added.

"He taught our congregation how to handle and cope with a life-threatening illness," Jackson said. "In a real sense, he showed us how to die."

More than 500 people attended the Gallatin native's funeral.

Kecia Ray hears every day how much her husband is missed.

"He had a personality that was contagious," she said. "He just had a genuine love for people."